Table of Contents
Basic Format for a Book:
One Author
Two or Three Authors
Four or More Authors
Book with an Editor
Book with a Corporate Author
Work in an Anthology
Book with more than one Volume
Book in a Series
Encyclopedia or Dictionary Entry
Sacred Text
Forward, Introduction, Preface, or Afterward
Pamphlet
Basic Format for Periodicals:
Article in a Magazine
Article in a Journal
Editorial in a Newspaper
Article in a Daily Newspaper
Letter to the Editor
Book or Film Review
Basic Format for Websites
Website with an Author
Website with a Corporate Author
Website with an Unknown Author
Website with No Title
Website with an Editor
Short Work from a Website (Articles, Poems, etc.)
Online Book
Online Periodicals
Online Scholarly Journal
Online Magazine
Online Newspaper
Basic Format for Online Databases
Email or Email Interview
Posting to an Online List, Forum, or Groups
Work of Art
CD-ROM, LP, or Cassette
Map or Chart
Lecture or Public Address
Film or Video
Government Publication
Legal Source
Published or Personal Interview
2-5
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3
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6-7
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9-11
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12
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Basic Rules for an MLA Style Works Cited Page
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Basic Format for a Book
One Author
Last name, first name. Book Title. City of Publication: Publishing Company, Year of
Publication. Medium of Publication.
(examples)
Tan, Amy. The Bonesetter’s Daughter. New York: Putnam, 2001. Print.
Two or Three Authors
Tan, Amy, and William Tell. The Bonesetter’s Daughter. New York: Putnam, 2001.
Print.
Notice the second author’s first name is FIRST
Tan, Amy, William Tell, and Phyllis Wheatley. The Bonesetter’s Daughter. New York:
Putnam, 2001. Print.
Four or more Authors.
(example)
Tan, Amy, et al. The Bonesetter’s Daughter. New York: Putnam, 2001. Print.
Book with Editor
Last name, first name, Ed. Book Title. City of Publication: Publishing Company, Year of
Publication. Medium of Publication.
(example)
Craig, Patricia, Ed. The Oxford Book of Travel Stories. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1996. Print.
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Book with a Corporate Author
Corporate Author. Book Title. City of Publication: Publishing Co., Year of Publication.
Medium of Publication.
(example)
American Heart Association. Low-Salt Cookbook. New York: Clarkson Potter, 2006.
Print.
Work in an Anthology
Last name, first name (of author of selection). “Title of the Selection.” Anthology Title.
Ed. (editor’s name to follow Ed.) City of Publication: Publishing Company, Year
of Publication. Pages on which the selection appears. Medium of Publication.
(example)
Desai, Anita. “Scholar and Gypsy.” The Oxford Book of Travel Stories. Ed. Patricia
Craig. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1996. 251-73. Print.
Book with more than one Volume
Last name, first name. Book Title. Total number of Volumes (vols). City of Publication:
Publishing Co., Year of Publication. Medium of Publication.
(example)
Conway, Jill Ker, ed. Written by Herself. 2 vols. New York: Random, 1996. Print.
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Book in a Series
Before the publication information, cite the series name as it appears on the title page,
followed by the series number, if any.
Author last name, first name. Book Title. Name of Series. Series Number. City of
Publication: Publishing Company, Year of Publication. Page numbers used.
Medium of Publication.
(example)
Malena, Anne. The Dynamics of Identity in Francophone Caribbean Narrative.
Francophone Cultures and Literature Series. 24. New York: Lang, 1998. Print.
Encyclopedia or Dictionary Entry
Last name, first name of the author of the entry. “Title of the Entry.” Reference Book
Title. Edition number. Edition Date. Medium of Publication.
(examples)
Posner, Rebecca. "Romance Languages." The New Encyclopaedia Britannica:
Macropaedia. 15th ed. 1987. Print.
"Sonata." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. 4th ed. 2000.
Print.
**Volume and page numbers are not necessary because the entries in the source are
arranged alphabetically and therefore are easy to locate.**
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Sacred Text
Text Title and Version. City of Publication: Publishing Co., Year of Publication.
Medium of Publication.
(example)
The New Jerusalem Bible. Wheaton: Tyndale, 1996. Print.
Foreword, Introduction, Preface, or Afterword
Last name, first name. Title of Part being Cited. Part of the Book. Book Title.
By (Author of book). City of Publication: Publishing Co., Year of Publication.
Page numbers used. Medium of Publication.
(example)
Ozick, Cynthia. "Portrait of the Essay as a Warm Body." Introduction. The Best
American Essays 1998. Ed. Ozick. Boston: Houghton, 1998. xv-xxi. Print.
Pamphlet
Cite a pamphlet as you would a book.
(example)
Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Dept. of Jury Commissioner. A Few Facts about Jury
Duty. Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1997. Print.
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Basic format for Periodicals
Article in a Magazine
Last name, first name. “Title of Article.” Title of Magazine. Publication Date: Page #.
Medium of Publication.
** If the magazine is published monthly, use the month and the year.**
(examples)
Kaplan, Robert. “History Moving North.” Atlantic Monthly. Feb. 1997: 21+. Print.
**If the magazine is issued weekly, give the exact date.”
Lord, Lewis. "There's Something about Mary Todd." U.S. News and World Report. 19
Feb. 2001: 53. Print.
Article in a Journal
Last name, first name. “Title of Article.” Title of Journal. Volume #: (Issue Date):
Page #. Medium of Publication.
(example)
Wood, Michael. "Broken Dates: Fiction and the Century." Kenyon Review. 22.3 (2000):
50-64. Print.
Editorial in a Newspaper
Cite an editorial as you would any article in a periodical, adding the word "Editorial"
after the title.
Last name, first name. “Title of Article.” Editorial. Title of Newspaper. Date of
Publication: Page #. Medium of Publication.
(example)
Smith, Harold. "All Wet." Editorial. Boston Globe. 12 Feb. 2001: 14. Print.
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Article in a Daily Newspaper
Last name, first name. “Title of Article.” Title of Newspaper. Date of Publication,
Edition (if listed): Page #. Medium of Publication.
*Use a plus sign (+) after the page number if the article does not appear on
consecutive pages.*
(example)
Murphy, Sean P. "Decisions on Status of Tribes Draw Fire." Boston Globe. 27 Mar. 2001,
final edition: A2+. Print.
**If the section is marked with a number rather than a letter, handle the entry as
follows:**
(example)
Wilford, John Noble. "In a Golden Age of Discovery, Faraway Worlds Beckon." New York
Times. 9 Feb. 1997, late ed., sec. 1: 1+. Print.
Letter to the Editor
Name the writer, followed by the word "Letter" and the publication information for the
periodical in which the letter appears.
Last name, first name of writer. Letter. Title of Newspaper . Date of Publication:
Page #. Medium of Publication.
(example)
Shrewsbury, Toni. Letter. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 17 Feb. 2001: A13. Print.
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Book or Film Review
Name the reviewer and the title of the review, if any, followed by the words "Rev. of"
and the title and author or director of the work reviewed. Add the publication
information for the publication in which the review appears.
Last name, first name of reviewer. “Title of Article.” Rev. of Title of work being
Reviewed, by Author or Director. Title of Publication. Date of Publication:
Page #. Medium of Publication.
(examples)
Gleick, Elizabeth. "The Burdens of Genius." Rev. of The Last Samurai, by Helen DeWitt.
Time . 4 Dec. 2000: 171. Print.
Denby, David. "On the Battlefield." Rev. of The Hurricane, Dir. Norman Jewison. New
Yorker. 10 Jan. 2000: 90-92. Print.
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Basic Format for Websites
Website with an Author
Last name, first name. Title of Site. Name of Sponsoring Organization (if given).
Date of posting or last update. Medium of Publication. Date of access.
(example)
Peterson, Susan. The Life of Martin Luther. The Martin Luther Society. 2000. Web.
9 March 2004.
Website with a Corporate Author
Corporate Author. Title of Site. Name of Sponsoring Organization. Date of Posting or
last Update. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.
(example)
Environmental Protection Agency. Values and Functions of Wetlands. 25 May 1999.
Web. 24 Mar. 2001.
Website with an Unknown Author
Title of Site. Name of Sponsoring Organization. Date of posting or last update. Medium
of Publication. Date of Access.
(example)
Margaret Sanger Papers Project. History Dept. 18 Oct. 2000. Web. 3 Apr. 2001.
Website with No Title
Last name, first name. Home Page. Editor’s name. Date of Posting or Last Update.
Name of Sponsoring Organization. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.
(example)
Block, Marylaine. Home page. 5 Mar. 2001. Web. 12 Apr. 2001.
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Website with an Editor
Title of Site. Editor’s name. Name of Sponsoring Organization. Date of Posting or last
Update. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.
(example)
Exploring Ancient World Cultures. Ed. Anthony F. Beavers. 1997. University
of Evansville. Web. 12 Mar. 2010.
Short Work from a Website (ex. Articles, Poems, etc.)
Last name, first name. “Title of Short Work.” Title of Site. Name of Sponsoring
Organization, Date of Posting of Last Update. Medium of Publication. Date of
Access.
(example)
Shiva, Vanessa. “Bioethics: A Third World Issue.” NativeWeb. World Science,
12 Jul. 2009. Web. 11 Apr. 2010.
Online Book
Last name, first name of author. Title of Book. City of Publication: Publishing
Company, Date of Publication. Page #. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.
(example)
Rawlins, Gregory J. E. Moths to the Flame. Cambridge: MIT, 1996. 20-31. Web. 3 Apr.
2001.
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Online Periodicals
When citing online articles, follow the guidelines for printed articles giving
whatever information is available in the online source. End the citation with your date of
access.
NOTE: In some online articles, paragraphs are numbered. For such articles,
include the total number of paragraphs in your citation, as in the next
example.
Online Scholarly Journal
(example)
Belau, Linda. "Trauma and the Material Signifier." Postmodern Culture. 11.2 (2001): 37
Web. 30 Mar. 2001.
Online Magazine
(example)
Morgan, Fiona. "Banning the Bullies." Salon.com. 15 Mar. 2001. Web. 2 Apr. 2001.
Online Newspaper
(example)
Whillon, Phil. "Ready or Not." Los Angeles Times. 2 Dec. 2001. Web. 3 Dec. 2001.
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Basic Format for Online Databases
Last name, first name. “Title of Article.” Title of Publication. Publication Date:
Page #. Name of Database. Medium of Publication. Date of Access.
Gale
(Global Issues in Context)
Rampell, Catherine. "How Old Is Old Enough?" New York Times. 15 Nov. 2009: 5-9.
Global Issues In Context. Web. 10 Sept. 2010.
EBSCO
(MasterFILE Premier Student Research Center, Biography Reference Center)
Allison, Graham. "Nuclear Deterrence in the Age of Nuclear Terrorism." Technology
Review 111.6 (2008): 68. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Web. 10 Sept. 2010.
SIRS
(Knowledge Source, Discoverer)
Okada, Katsuya, and Guido Westerwelle. "The Moral Challenge of a Nuclear-Free
World." Wall Street Journal. 04 Sept. 2010: A.15. SIRS Researcher. Web. 10
Sept. 2010.
Rosen Teen Health and Wellness
Furgang, Kathy. "Terrorism." Teen Health and Wellness. Rosen. 2010: 12-15 Web. 10
Sept. 2010.
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Email and Email Interviews
Writer’s last name, first name. “Subject Line.” Message to whom the email was sent.
Date of the Message. Medium of Publication.
(example)
O'Donnell, Patricia. "Re: Interview Questions." Message to Bob Jones. 15 Mar.
2001. Email.
Posting to an Online List, Forum, or Groups
Editor, screen name, author, or compiler name. “Posting Title.” Name of Site. Name of
Institution/organization affiliated with the site. Date of Site. Medium of
Publication. Date of Access.
(example)
Salmar. “Best Strategy to Fencing Pastures.” BoardGameGeek. Board Games.
29 Sept. 2010. Web. 7 Oct. 2010.
Work of Art
Artist last name, first name. Title of Artwork. Date of Work. Institution where work is
located. City of Institution. Medium of Publication.
(example)
Constable, John. Dedham Vale. 1889. Museum of Modern Art. New York. 3 Feb. 2003.
Print.
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CD-ROM, LP, or Cassette
Put individual song titles in quotation marks. Album names are italicized. Provide the
name of the recoding manufacturer followed by the publication date. List the
appropriate medium at the end of the entry (CD, LP, Cassette).
(example)
Foo Fighters. “Happiness.” In Your Honor. RCA, 2005. CD.
Map or Chart
Cite a map or chart as you would a book or a short work within a longer work. Add the
word “Map” or “Chart” following the title.
(example)
Joseph, Lori, and Bob Laird. "Driving While Phoning Is Dangerous." Chart. USA Today.
16 Feb. 2001: 1A.
Lecture or Public Address
Speaker's last name, first name. “Title of Lecture (if any).” Organization Sponsoring
the Lecture, Location. Date of Lecture. Type of Presentation.
(example)
Cohran, Kelan. "Slavery and Astronomy." Adler Planetarium, Chicago. 21 Feb. 2001.
Guest Lecture.
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Film or Video
Title of Film. Dir + Director’s Name. Perf. + Lead Actors’ Names ( or narrator "Narr.").
Name of Distribution Company, Year of film's release. Medium of Publication.
(examples)
Chocolat. Dir. Lasse Hallström. Perf. Juliette Binoche, Judi Dench, Alfred Molina, Lena
Olin, and Johnny Depp. Miramax, 2001. DVD.
"Live in 4A: Konstantin Soukhovetski." Performance Today. National Public Radio. 2
May 2002. Television.
Government Publication
Name of government. Name of the government agency. Title of Publication. City:
Publication Information, Date of Publication. Medium of Publication.
(examples)
United States. National Council on Disability. Promises to Keep: A Decade of Federal
Enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Washington: GPO, 2000.
Print.
For government documents published online, give as much publication information as is
available and end your citation with the date of access.
United States. Dept. of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
An Investigation of the Safety Implications of Wireless Communications in
Vehicles. Nov. 1999. 20 May 2001.
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Legal Source
For articles of the United States Constitution and laws in the United States Code, no
works cited entry is required; instead, simply give an in-text citation.
For a legislative act, begin with the name of the act. Then provide the act's Public Law
number, its date of enactment, and its Statutes at Large number.
(example)
Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments of 1996. Pub. L. 104-418. 2 Oct.
1996. Stat. 3048. Print.
For a Court Case, Name the first plaintiff and first defendant. Then give the Case
Number, the Court Name, the Date of the Decision, and Medium of Publication.
The Name of the case is not underlined.
(example)
Utah v. Evans. No. 01-714. Supreme Ct. of the US. 20 June 2002. Print.
Published Interview
Last name the person interviewed, first name. “Title of the Interview.” By Name
of the Interviewer. Give publication information for the work in which
the interview was published. Medium of Publication.
(example)
Renoir, Jean. "Renoir at Home: Interview with Jean Renoir." By John Smith.
Film Quarterly 50.1 (1996): 2-8. Print.
Personal Interview
Begin with the name of the person you interviewed. Then write "Personal Interview,"
followed by the date of the interview.
(example)
Shaikh, Michael. Personal interview. 22 Mar. 2001.